During the summer and into the fall, it’s hurricane season in the Garden State. In areas more prone to flooding, such counties towards the shore, it is vital to stay informed about pending weather conditions. However, the entire state is at risk of being impacted by hurricanes and tropical storms between June 1 and November 30.
When it comes to natural disasters, preparation is the best way you can help your family and your home.
Stay Informed
The Internet is filled with credible places where you can go to obtain the latest information about hurricane watches and hurricane warnings.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, has an application you can download to your smartphone. With the FEMA app, you can receive real-time alerts from the National Weather Service. The app also features an array of preparation resources and emergency safety tips for natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, and tornados. Additionally, the app can locate emergency shelters in your area and find disaster recovery centers. Download the app here.
The National Weather Service covers weather advisories across the nation and filters by state and county for the most accurate weather statements for your area. Their U.S. weather map updates frequently and tracks severe weather, flash floods, heat advisory, high surf advisory, and more. oceans. They monitor active storms, marine forecasts, and provide two and five-day graphical tropical weather outlooks.
The National Hurricane Center tracks tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic, Eastern Pacific, and Central Pacific oceans. They monitor active storms, marine forecasts, and provide two and five-day graphical tropical weather outlooks.
For New Jersey specific information, visit ready.nj.gov. Sponsored by the State of New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, ReadyNJ is a one-stop-shop for you and your clients to be ready for hurricane season. Check out the ReadyNJ Hurricane Survival Guide for New Jersey here.
Have a Plan in Place For Your Home
Having a plan when disaster strikes is an essential asset to a family’s wellbeing.
According to the National Weather Service, on average 12 tropical storms, six of which become hurricanes, form over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or the Gulf of Mexico during hurricane season. Stay informed during every stage of a hurricane or tropical storm with the National Weather Service’s what to do before a tropical storm or hurricane, what to do when a tropical storm or hurricane is in your area, and what to do after a hurricane.
Ready.gov recommends making an emergency kit and having basic supplies on hand such as gallons of water, non-perishable food, battery-powered radio, flashlight, and first aid kit. For the full list of recommended supplies click here.
Financial preparedness for a natural disaster is a key point to keep in mind. Consider opening a separate savings account in case of emergency management and keeping small bills in case ATMs and credit cards are out of service.
Hurricane Glossary of Terms
Courtesy of the National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center for a full glossary of terms click here.
Advisory: Official information issued by tropical cyclone warning centers describing all tropical cyclone watches and warnings.
Best Track: A subjectively smoothed representation of a tropical cyclone’s location and intensity over its lifetime.
Eye: The roughly circular area of comparatively light winds that encompasses the center of a severe tropical cyclone.
Extratropical: A term used in advisories and tropical summaries to indicate that a cyclone has lost its “tropical” characteristics.
Gale Warning: A warning of one-minute sustained surface winds in the range 39 mph to 54 mph, either predicted or occurring and not directly associated with tropical cyclones.
Hurricane/Typhoon: A tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind is 74 mph or more. The term hurricane is used for Northern Hemisphere tropical cyclones east of the International Dateline to the Greenwich Meridian. The term typhoon is used for Pacific tropical cyclones north of the Equator west of the International Dateline.
Hurricane Warning: An announcement that sustained winds of 74 mph or higher are expected somewhere within the specified area in association with a tropical, subtropical, or post-tropical cyclone. Hurricane preparedness activities become difficult once winds reach tropical storm force, so the warning is issued 36 hours in advance of anticipated tropical-storm-force winds.
Hurricane Watch: An announcement that sustained winds of 74 mph or higher are possible within the specified area in association with a tropical, subtropical, or post-tropical cyclone. Typically issued 48 hours in advance of anticipated tropical-stormforce winds.
Storm Surge: The danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the shoreline somewhere within the specified area, generally within 36 hours, in association with an ongoing or potential tropical cyclone, a subtropical cyclone or a post-tropical cyclone.
Tropical Storm: A tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind speed ranges from 39 mph to 73 mph.